If you have been hurt in a car accident, the minutes and days that follow can affect both your health and any insurance or personal injury claim. Staying calm is difficult after a collision, but a few practical steps can help protect you and preserve important evidence.
1. Get to Safety and Check for Injuries
Stop at the scene and check whether anyone needs help. Call 911 when someone is injured, traffic is obstructed, a vehicle cannot be moved safely, or the other driver leaves the scene. If no one is injured and the vehicles can be driven safely, move them out of active traffic.
Texas law requires a driver involved in a collision that causes or is reasonably likely to cause injury or death to stop, determine whether anyone needs aid, and remain until the required information and assistance have been provided. You can review these duties in Chapter 550 of the Texas Transportation Code.
2. Seek Medical Attention
Get emergency treatment when symptoms are serious. Even if you do not need an ambulance, consider a prompt medical evaluation. Pain, stiffness, concussion symptoms, and other injuries may become more noticeable after the initial shock wears off.
Tell the medical provider how the collision happened and describe your symptoms accurately. Follow recommended treatment and keep copies of discharge instructions, referrals, prescriptions, and bills. Your health comes first, and consistent medical records can also help explain how the accident affected you.
3. Exchange Information
Obtain the other driver’s name, address, phone number, driver’s-license information, license-plate number, insurer, and policy number. Photograph the insurance card and driver’s license when possible, and provide your required information in return.
Avoid arguing or guessing about who caused the crash. Give truthful facts to law enforcement, but do not make assumptions about speed, distance, injuries, or fault when you do not know the answer.
4. Document the Scene
If it is safe, take photographs or video of:
- All vehicles and visible damage
- License plates and vehicle positions
- Skid marks, debris, traffic signals, and road conditions
- Nearby businesses, homes, or cameras
- Visible injuries
Ask witnesses for their names and contact information. Note the time, weather, location, and police-report number. The Texas Department of Insurance also recommends collecting the other driver’s information and photographing the vehicles, plates, and damage.
5. Report the Accident to Your Insurance Company
Notify your insurer promptly and review your policy for applicable reporting requirements and coverage. Depending on your policy and the circumstances, available coverage may include collision, personal injury protection, medical payments, uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, or rental reimbursement.
Be careful with broad medical authorizations, recorded statements requested by another driver’s insurer, and early settlement releases. An insurance adjuster evaluates the claim for the insurance company. You can provide necessary facts without speculating or signing documents you do not understand.
6. Preserve Records and Track Your Losses
Create one place for accident-related documents. Keep medical bills, repair estimates, towing and rental receipts, wage-loss records, correspondence, photographs, and a copy of the crash report. Write down how your injuries affect sleep, work, mobility, household responsibilities, and ordinary activities.
Do not repair or dispose of important physical evidence before it has been documented. Save damaged personal items, dash-camera footage, phone photographs, and electronic communications connected to the collision.
7. Do Not Rush Into a Final Settlement
An early offer may arrive before the full extent of an injury is known. A signed release can end the claim even if additional treatment is later needed. Before accepting a final settlement, understand the medical prognosis, future care, lost income, liens or reimbursement claims, property damage, and every insurance policy that may apply.
The value of a claim depends on the evidence, liability, injuries, treatment, available coverage, and other case-specific facts. No responsible lawyer can guarantee a particular outcome.
8. Pay Attention to Deadlines
Texas generally requires many personal injury lawsuits to be filed within two years after the claim accrues under Section 16.003 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code. Exceptions can change that period, and some matters—including certain claims involving government entities—may have much shorter notice requirements.
Waiting can also make evidence harder to obtain. Video may be overwritten, witnesses may become difficult to locate, and vehicles may be repaired or sold. Prompt review helps identify the correct deadline and preserve evidence.
How Law Wizard PLLC Can Help
A personal injury attorney can investigate the collision, preserve evidence, identify potentially responsible parties and insurance coverage, communicate with insurers, document damages, address medical liens, negotiate a resolution, and file suit when necessary.
If you were injured in a car or truck accident in South or Central Texas, visit our Personal Injury page or contact Law Wizard PLLC for a confidential consultation. You may also call (210)-995-9145.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Deadlines and legal rights depend on the specific facts of each matter.